County health rankings: Broward 9th, Palm Beach County 14th

March 20, 2013|By Nicole Brochu, Staff writer

Broward County made the top 10 list of Florida's healthiest counties, for the first time since a report began keeping score in 2010. And Palm Beach County came in as the 14th healthiest for the second year in a row.

The 2013 County Health Rankings, released Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, scored Broward ninth of Florida's 67 counties in its overall health. The study examinedstate and federal data for a host of factors, from low birth weight and excessive drinking to dental care and safe drinking water.

"Our high ranking reflects our prioritization of all factors that affect residents' health, and emphasizes the importance of sustaining our programs as we work to stay healthy," said Dr. Paula Thaqi, director of the Broward County Health Department, crediting a tobacco prevention program for driving down adult smoking rates, for example.

Broward moved from the 12th overall spot last year, buoyed by low smoking and obesity rates, a clean environment and falling violent crime rates. The county, though, had lower graduation rates and more children living in poverty than last year, and there were fewer doctors per capita.

Broward also came in seventh in the state for specific health behaviors, including smoking, obesity, excessive drinking, car crash deaths, sexually transmitted diseases and teen birth rates. And it ranked fourth for its environment, including safe drinking water and access to recreational facilities.

Aside from its overall ranking, Palm Beach County also is third best in the state for specific health behaviors, including excessive drinking, sexually transmitted diseases and teen birth rates. And it scored third for its environment, including safe drinking water, low pollution levels and accessible recreational facilities.

"I am encouraged by the number of persons dieting and exercising in our community," said Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department. "With time, this should also help reduce obesity."

The report, the fourth released since 2010, found that 23 percent of Palm Beach County residents considered themselves physically inactive and 22 percent were obese, the same as the year before. Fourteen percent of adults smoked, a drop from 16 percent in 2012.

Florida's healthiest county, according to the report, is St. Johns, in the northeastern part of the state. The county in poorest health is Union, largely because its prison population factored into the scores. Palm Beach County scored 14th overall, while Miami-Dade ranked sixth.

Roderick King, executive director of the Florida Public Health Institute in Lake Worth, called the rankings a good snapshot of counties' individual health and a useful tool in promoting improvements.

"It shows that where we live, learn and work matters to our health," he said, adding, though, that it will take a couple more years before the numbers show a firm trend.